SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 3, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — State wildlife officials have been as busy as … well, OK, beavers in duplicating the work of nature’s furry engineers.
“Thanks to a recent habitat project, deer, elk and other wildlife should have a more resilient summer range in the Cinnamon Creek Wildlife Management Area,” the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources says on social media. “And we’ll be able to see the benefits of these efforts for years to come.
“This past summer, we built 45 beaver dam analogs along a stretch of Red Rock Creek. The BDAs will slow the water flow through the creek, raising the water table, improving forage for wildlife and reducing erosion.
“BDAs mimic what beavers do naturally. In time, we hope beavers will take over the maintenance of the dams and continue to improve the habitat.
“The Cinnamon Creek WMA covers 8,107 acres in Ogden Valley north of Eden and Huntsville in the area of the Cache/Weber counties border and 15 miles south of Hardware Ranch.”
To give vegetation near the stream a jump-start, the division explained in a Thursday press release, the agency also started a variety of plants, including cottonwoods, willows, roses, currants and serviceberry. Eventually, a thriving, diverse plant community will take hold, providing deer, elk and other wildlife with cover and highly nutritious food.
“This project is a great example of people and partners coming together to help wildlife,” the DWR said.
A neighboring landowner brought his front-end loader to the WMA and pounded posts into the ground for the BDAs. He also allowed officials onto his property to obtain the materials needed to build the dams.
“We also appreciate Utah Forestry, Fire & State Lands, which supplied the posts used to construct the BDAs!”
